Federalism forms part of the basic structure of the Indian Constitution and it cannot be said it is diluted or violated by the use of the expression "Central government" instead of "Union government", the Delhi High Court has said while dismissing a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking to replace the term "Central government" with 'Union' or 'Union government' in all orders, notifications, and correspondences.

A bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Manmohan said "Central Government", "Union of India" as well as "Government of India" have been used vastly in various statutes and connote the government of the country in interchangeable expressions, and the petitioner's statement that the use of the expression "Central Government" implies that state governments are subordinate to it is totally unacceptable.